The present invention relates to an image generating apparatus having a character recognizing function and a graphic function.
Extensively used in the imaging art today are a character recognizing device capable of reading and recognizing characters which are written in paper, and a graphic device capable of drawing a desired image based on image data, especially a graphing device which processes numerical data to form a graph. Such devices have heretofore been proposed in various forms, as enumerated below.
(1) With one prior art graphing device, a person inputs and edits graph data while watching a display and by using a keyboard, mouse, etc. The resulting graph is outputted by a printer or similar output unit. This kind of graphing device is applicable to a digital copier or similar equipment and is implemented as a computer application, software, or exclusive computer.
(2) Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (Kokai) No. 61-255483, for example, discloses an optical character reader (OCR) of the type reading a slip on which frames are printed by using ordinary printing ink as distinguished from dropout colors. This OCR is directed toward decreasing the cost of slips and promoting easy identification of frames in which characters may be written.
(3) Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publcation (Kokai) No. 62-290984, for example, proposes a slip having frames each being provided with a guide pattern therein beforehand. One may trace desired segments of the guide pattern. This uniformizes the style of handwriting and thereby improves the matching of input patterns and a registered dictionary.
(4) An image generating apparatus capable of printing out a combined image on a special paper sheet which is customarily attached to a gift is shown and described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 58-85670, for example. Specifically, the apparatus reads an application blank which has been filled in a predetermined format by marking a portion of interest. The apparatus determines the kind of the gift on the basis of the marked portion of the application, reads the pattern of a word associated with the determined kind out of a memory, combines the read pattern with the pattern of a sender's name written in the application blank, and print out the combined patterns on the paper sheet. This allows a desired pattern intended for a gift to be selected and to be combined with the sender's name with ease.
(5) A facsimile machine advantageously usable to send and output a graph is taught in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (Kokai) No. 54-118720, for example. This type of facsimile machine scans a document two-dimensionally, codes the optically read data, extracts the codes and quantities associated with individual items, and transmits them to a destination. At the destination, a graph is generated by using the codes and quantities. Such a facsimile machine cuts down the required transmission capacity by coding and, therefore, promotes effective use of a communication channel while reducing the transmission time.
(6) Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (Kokai) No. 62-281082, for example, discloses a character recognizing device which recognizes handwritten characters or similar symbols, prints out the recognized symbols, and informs a person of the similarity or difference between the inputted symbols and the recognized symbols. The result of evaluation outputted together with the result of recognition helps educating a copyist as to the entry of characters and urges the copyist to acquire a writing method which is desirable for accurate character recognition.
However, all the prior art implementations (1) to (6) described above have problems left unsolved. The graphing device (1), for example, formats and outputs a graph automatically and thereby reduces the processing time, but it relies on manual work when it comes to entering and editing graph data. Hence, the entering and editing time occupies substantial part of the total graphing time. Specifically, this prior art device is implemented as a computer application, software, or exclusive computer and is used with a keyboard, tablet, mouse, or similar inputting implement, as stated earlier. Such a device is, therefore, difficult to use for those who are not familiar with computers and cannot be handled without resorting to substantial knowledge regarding the complicated operation flows. A problem with the OCR (2) is that when the frames are broken off, blurred or smeared, the frames and the characters cannot be accurately separated from each other, resulting in misreading. For example, the frames are apt to blur when use is made of a copy of an original slip. The slip (3) is disadvantageous in that it is not easy for a person to write characters in the ordinary order of strokes. The image generating apparatus (4) does not allow more than a certain number of patterns to be stored beforehand and, since the sender's name is simply copied, it is not capable of executing any other secondary processing which uses the recognizing means. The application of the apparatus (4) is, therefore, substantially limited to gifts. The facsimile machine (5) basically sends a graph or similar graphic image faithfully and lacks a function of recognizing the contents of a graph and transforming them into another format. Further, the character recognizing device (6) informs a copyist only of whether or not the handwritten characters have defects, i.e., concrete image information is not available. Hence, the copyist cannot readily estimate the cause of misreading. Generally, when a document is read by a scanner, the read images and the written characters are not always identical. For example, when the reading density of the scanner is low, the read images are often blurred or broken off; when it is high, the read images often suffer from batter. Further, it is likely that noise is introduced in the output of the scanner or an inclined image is entered, depending on the position of a document. It follows that the cause of misreading can in many cases be estimated if read images themselves are displayed. With the apparatus (6), however, the estimation of the cause of misreading is not easy because the apparatus does not have such a displaying function. Thus, the current OCR technologies are directed toward improving recognizability only and are not concerned with how to correct misread characters or with the correction of a slip which may be needed later despite exact recognition.